


Knowing

by semievilnightowl



Category: Big Hero 6 (2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Not Related, Angst with a Happy Ending, Comics/Movie Crossover, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Happy Ending, Everything Hurts, F/F, F/M, Family Loss, Family Secrets, Fix-It of Sorts, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Growing Up Together, It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-23
Updated: 2015-03-27
Packaged: 2018-03-19 06:26:49
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,320
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3599718
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/semievilnightowl/pseuds/semievilnightowl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Seeing the future doesn't help handle the present.  Tadashi Hamada tries to use his Gifts and Talents to give Hiro the life he deserves.  But sometimes - what one deserves is not what anyone gets.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I am trying to get back into writing, and have decided to try my hand at some Hidashi AU. All mistakes are my own, and there is nothing I am getting for writing this but the joy of creating something I would like to read myself. Constructive criticism is always welcomed and appreciated.

“Great work today Tadashi!”

  
Seven year old Tadashi Hamada smiled at his teacher, face radiating accomplishment.

  
“I can tell you’ve been practicing a lot this week! You can pack up now – I’m going to go talk to your parents for a minute, ok?”

  
The boy began putting away his gravity blocks and levitation cards. He always had fun at the Mynde Institute for the Able, and always tried his hardest with his favorite teacher. She taught the best classes anyway; Telekinesis was his favorite Talent – way better than his Pyschometry Gift. At least he had his stupid Gift under control now: he could eat burgers again without tasting grass and feeling confused as someone took him someplace dark and different. When the mind Skills manifested at age four, he wasn’t allowed to take any of the fun classes until his Gift was stable. Stupid Gift. Even Clairvoyance was better, and he hated that Talent. Come on, who wanted to know what vegetable they were having for dinner for the next month? Gross! Yeah, he wished he had a Gift in Telekinesis. Who cares about the past and future stuff anyway.

  
“That’s insane!”

  
Tadashi almost dropped his backpack he was so surprised. His Father never raised his voice; shouting was just wrong! He ran out into the hall and rushed to his parents, who were both arguing with his teacher. He grabbed his mother’s kimono and glared. He didn’t care that Miss G was his favorite, no one got to make his mom upset.

  
“Tadashi, go wait in the play area,” his father muttered, glaring at said teacher. “We’ll be leaving in a moment.”

  
“Dad—”

  
“Go.”

  
Letting his eyes get huge and puppy-like, Tadashi looked at his mother. She smiled and shook her head. Super lame, he was old enough to argue too! Frustrated, he stomped off towards the front of the school to go sit with the babies. Well he would just have fun by himself; see if he cared what they were talking about. Maybe he’d just – take apart the computer stations. With his mind. They’d never figure out who did it that way!

  
Halfway through the first laptop (really, he was doing them a favor taking them apart, they’d be a million times better after he put them back together!) he felt the familiar twinge in the back of his head. The one that said he was about to see the future. Stupid Talent. Pushing the machine away, he went to find a corner of the room that no one was playing near. He had to get ready. He sat down, crossed his legs, put his hands palm up on his knees, and closed his eyes. No way to stop it. Might as well get a clear picture.

  
Breathe, count to ten, breathe out, count to ten.

  
Something touched his leg. He ignored it.

  
Breathe, count to twenty, breathe out, count to twenty. Slow. Calm.

  
Something rolled onto his lap. Don’t think about it, it’s not there, ignore, focus.

  
Breathe, count to thirty, slow, breathe out, slow, count to thirty. Slow. Calm. Slow.

  
Someone tapped his cheek. Letting out a huge gust of agitated air, Tadashi opened his eyes and looked down.

  
A baby, kind of puppy cute, sat in the fold of his legs. The baby was smiling at him, and making quick grabby motions with its chubby hands. Tadashi hadn’t been around other kids this small, but smiling seemed like a safe idea. The grin was a great idea actually– it had the baby making happy noises. But looking into its eyes, that – that was a really stupid idea.

  
Instead of an easy stream of Knowing gently trickling into his mind, Tadashi fell into the future.

 

***

“Dashi!”

  
Tadashi bent over, arms out. “Come on Hiroto, you can do it! I know you can, you just need to grab my hands!”

  
Little Hiroto looked at him and reached out with one hand firmly attached to the coffee table leg. He baby-frowned.

  
Be strong Tadashi cautioned himself. Don’t give in. He’s going to be fine. He has to do it on his own.

  
Hiroto’s lip wobbled and his eyes filled with tears.

  
Don’t do it. He’s just messing with you.

  
The baby whimpered.

  
“Tadashi, he’s going to have to learn to walk on his own someday,” his mother told him kindly. Tadashi hugged Hiroto, snuggling with the babbling baby and glaring at his amused parents.

  
“You cannot carry Hiroto everywhere, son,” his father chuckled.

  
“He’s just a baby! He can walk tomorrow!” Tadashi lifted his nose and took his Hiroto outside to play, ignoring the laughter that followed him out into the gardens.

 

***

 

“No!”

  
“Come on Hiroto, don’t be like that.”

  
The teenage prodigy glared at the older boy. “I’m not going to your nerd school! What’s the point; I’ll know everything before I get there. You can’t make me!”

  
Tadashi groaned, rubbing his jaw in agitation. “Mom, can’t you talk to him?” he begged.  Yeah, he was OK with begging if it got the little delinquent to see sense.

  
Catherine would have giggled if it wouldn’t have hurt her son’s feelings. “Sweetie, he’s thirteen. He has time to figure out what he wants to do with his life.”

  
“Thanks Mom.”

  
“Hiroto, don’t thank me yet; your father is going to agree with Tadashi.”

  
“But MOOOOOOM!”

 

***

 

“Tadashi, no, please; don’t go!”

  
“I have to Hiro, someone has to! He won’t leave you alone otherwise!”

  
“Why does it have to be you?”

  
“I won’t let you get hurt, Hiro. Not again.  Knucklehead!”

  
“What if I – I go back. I can—”

  
“No Hiro. No, I _can’t_ … no. That’s not happening.”

  
“Tadashi, I can fix my own messes! It’s my fault I upset him, let me talk to him.”

  
“He hit you once, and he _won’t_ hit you again! Do you want me to tell Mom and Dad?”

  
“Please, please don’t—”

  
“Then it has to be me!”

  
“No!”

  
“HIRO!”

 

***

 

“What about the 28th of April?”

  
“That was…sure.”

  
“You don’t sound very excited about it.”

  
“Do you actually remember what happened that date?”

  
“... how about the 27th of May instead. That’s the day you started talking to me again.”

  
“TADASHI! Pick a better date like a normal person!”

 

***

 

“Congratulations Tadashi!”

  
He turned around and smiled as his closest friends rushed over. “Thanks guys! I didn’t think you’d be able to make it!”

  
Honey-Lemon pushed Sam out of the way and kissed both of Tadashi’s cheeks. “You’re our best friend, Tadashi. We had to come! We’re so proud of you!” She looked around, stepping back as Sam tried to give Tadashi a noogie. It didn’t help that the auburn-haired med student was nearly a foot shorter than the robotics professor.

  
“Tadashi?”

  
“Yeah Sam.”

  
“Where’s Hiro?”

  
All the air rushed out of Tadashi’s chest. Oh god how was he going to explain this? “He… he couldn’t come.”

  
“What?! You just won the MacArthur grant! Where the hell is he?”

  
“Sam…”

  
“Honey, come on, there’s no reason the little bastard shouldn’t be!”

  
“Sam!”

  
Tadashi shoved his friend away and would have growled if Honey-Lemon hadn’t looked so upset. “He’d be here if he could Sam! Leave it alone.”

  
“What the hell man!”

  
“Sam, just, let’s go. We can talk to Tadashi later; let’s not ruin his big night.”

  
“I’m ganna call the little shit—”

  
“He’s in the fucking hospital, leave it alone!”

 

***

 

“It was worth it Tadashi. You’ll always be worth it.”

  
“Please Hiro. _Please_.”

  
“My poor Dashi. It’s ok, shh, don’t cry; I’m ganna be ok.”

 

***

 

“TADASHI, NO!”

  
He felt the heat at his back and knew he would not be coming back from this. “Callaghan is in there. Someone has to help.”

  
“I’m coming with you!”

  
“No! You have to find everyone, make sure they’re alright! Please Hiro!”

  
“Tadashi, you IDIOT!”

  
“ _HIRO, NO!_ ”

 

***

 

“Tadashi, you have to come out of it. You have to follow me back. You can’t stay here, it’s not real. Let the visions flow away like water down a stream. The future is ever changing; you have to let it go. Wake up Tadashi!”

  
He struggled against her urgent tugs at is mind.  “No! Hiro needs me! I can’t leave him alone!”

  
“The Hiro you are seeing is _**not real**_. Hiroto is sitting with your mother, he is _fine_. He’s crying for you, can you hear him?”

  
“… why is he crying? What did you do to him?!”

  
“He’s worried about you. We’re all worried about you. You have to come back with me, ok?”

  
“And then I can see Hiro?”

  
“Yes Tadashi. Then we can see Hiro.”

  
“Ok Miss G. How do I go back?”

  
“Just close your eyes and tell yourself to—”

 

***

 

Tadashi gasped, back arching as he tried to remember how to breathe.

  
“Good boy!” A large hand pushed sweaty hair out of his eyes. “Good boy Tadashi! You’re going to be fine, just relax, slow your breathing.”

  
“Dad?”

  
“I’m here son. Everything’s going to be alright.”

  
Throwing up seemed like the best idea ever. Throwing up would have been awesome. But he had no time for that. He opened his eyes and frantically looked around. When had he fallen asleep on his Father?

  
“Tadashi, take it easy, Miss G needs to check that—”

  
“Where’s Hiro?”

  
“Hiroto? He’s right here sweetie, calm down.”

  
“I need him. I need him Mom, can I hold him?”

  
Tadashi’s parents shared a worried silent conversation, but conceded that Tadashi had to calm down. If holding the child would help him do that, then that’s what would happen. “See?” his mother murmured, handing him the baby carefully. “He’s fine.”

  
Tadashi gently hugged the baby and chanted his name over and over, trying to calm them both down. “I’m here Hiroto, don’t worry. I got you. I’m here Hiroto, I’m ok, and you’re ok. No more crying Hiro, you’re ok.”

  
He didn’t hear what his parents and Miss G talked about, not while Hiroto was still crying, but he caught a few words as the child started to calm. California was mentioned, along with IQ results and names he thought were vaguely familiar in a TV kind of way. He was sure he heard that name before; it was on packages of computer parts right? Yeah, that was it. Oh, Hiroto was a Technopath? Cool, maybe they could build stuff together. Wait what, they weren’t keeping him?

  
“No!”

  
“Tadashi?”

  
Puffing out his chest as best he could with Hiroto clinging to it, Tadashi put on his determined face. “Hiroto has to live with us.”

  
“Tadashi, there are many reasons why this is not a good idea. You do not understand.”

  
Glaring was not his smartest idea ever, but he couldn’t help himself. “He has to stay with us, Father. He has to be with us.”

  
His mother walked over to him and knelt on the floor. “Is that what you saw, Tadashi? Hiro living with us? Becoming your baby brother?”

  
Tadashi frowned a little. “I don’t know,” he muttered sourly. He needed to sound adult! Adults always knew everything! “But I know he has to be with _us_.  No one else will work.” Miss G ran her fingers across his forehead and he knew she was trying to See what he had Seen. He leaned away from her and growled.

  
“Tadashi Hamada!” his father snapped.

  
“No, it’s alright Mr. Hamada. He’s going to be sensitive for a few days after a manifestation of Talent like that. But he’s right. Hiro must stay with you.”

  
“But why?”

  
Tadashi looked at Hiroto. He wiped the last of the tears off the chubby cheeks, and gave his fluffy hair a pat. Hiroto rubbed his face into his t-shirt and fell asleep. “I don’t understand a lot of what I Saw,” he admitted quietly. “But I Know. He’s going to become a most important person. He needs me.” He looked at his Father and bowed his head. “Please Dad.”

  
Miss G went and grabbed a bag from somewhere and held it out to his Father. “It’s the right thing to do. Not just for Hiroto, but for your family as well. I know this. I Know and I’ve Seen it. Please Mr. Hamada.”

  
Yup, totally his favorite teacher. He was going to practice so many hours this week.

  
“Catherine?”

  
Tadashi stared at his Mother. Please please please _please_ **_please_** —

  
“You heard our son. Hiroto is meant to be with us. So he will be.”

  
Tadashi knew that no matter what happened in any future, he and Hiro _had_ to be together.

  
He’d make sure they always were. “Hiro Hamada,” he said softly. Yeah. Sounded just as cool out loud as it did in his head. “We're taking you home.”


	2. Chapter 2

“I hope you’ve learned your lesson, Master Tadashi.”

The boy was so happy that they got to keep Hiroto, he didn’t even care that he’d busted his nose on his own door. Ok—maybe he cared a little that he broke the arm off of his vintage Captain America figure when he fell over onto the pile of toys he should have shoved under the bed in an attempt to get away from his evil door. But he was sure he’d get over it.

Dad better fix it first thing tomorrow or he was going to sit next to Hiroto and cry. But nothing could make him feel anything but awesome _right this second_.

“Master Tadashi.”

Except, obviously, Caretaker Helga; she always made him feel stupid. “Yes Caretaker Helga?”

“What did you learn from walking into the door frame?”

He would have rolled his eyes, but he knew she would just tell on him. “To watch where I’m going.”

Caretaker Helga was apparently unimpressed with his answer. “And?”

“And…?”

“You should listen to your parents when they give you instructions,” she droned. “You were told to go to bed over an hour ago.”

“I should listen to my parents when they tell me it’s time for bed,” he repeated diligently, poking at his nose and crossing his eyes to look down at it. It was only a little red. It’d better go back to normal tomorrow. What if Hiroto didn’t recognize him with a big nose?

“I’ll take it from here Helga, thank you.”

Tadashi grinned at his mother, pretending not to see the scowl on Caretaker Helga’s face as she left. “Mom, can I say goodnight to Hiroto? I _promise_ I’ll go right to bed after.”

Catherine Hamada almost denied him so that she could see him pout: it was just too precious. She took her time in answering just to make him squirm, tugging her robe tighter as he whined. But he had already had a trying day; she’d let him get away with it tonight. “Come on Sweetie, let’s go save your Father.”

“Huh? What’s wrong with Dad?” he asked, grabbing the hand she held out for him.

His mother gave a long-suffering sigh. “He’s trying to stare down the baby.” The boy burst into giggles as she knew he would.

“Who’s winning?” Tadashi asked as they made their way through the Hamada Family Manor. Catherine, well used to her son’s tendency of having no idea where is limbs were flailing, tugged him out of the way of the priceless marble bust of the First Hamada before he knocked it over (again). She grabbed the back of his pajama top when he tried to turn right instead of left while telling her about the new toy he was going to build for Hiroto, saving him from a nasty fall down the fifty-six steps of the main staircase. She despaired for her poor boy because her husband was _just the same_. To the outside world her husband was a quiet, respectful man with a no-nonsense attitude. Inside their home, it was as if he had no idea what self-restraint even was. Just last week she had to tell him that no, having Tadashi levitate himself out the third-story library window was not a great way for him to hone his Telekinesis. And no, the 13 mattresses that they had somehow found and placed under the window did _not_ make her feel any better about it.

Two had been bad enough: how was she going to handle _three_ genius level Abled males in the house?

“Dad, leave Hiroto alone!”

Catherine forced herself out of her despairing thoughts just in time to see her son—her oldest son, goodness, she had another child to spoil!—grab the baby and glare at his father. “Dear,” she murmured lovingly, catching the twinkle of mischief in her husband’s eyes as he crossed his arms and glared right back at his son.

“Is this how it’s going to be from now on? You and Hiroto ganging up on me?” Tadao pouted.

Unbelievable. Catherine was sure she would never make it to 40 with any auburn hair intact.

***

Tadao Hamada made his way towards his bedroom, snickering. Tadashi was so easy to rile up. It was made even easier now that he was hyper-sensitive about keeping Hiroto happy. Tadashi was too smart; it was easy to forget that he was still just a little boy. Maybe with the new baby in the house, it would be easier to see Dashi as a child too. Tadao was sure his own parents had had the same problem with him growing up. They’d figure it out eventually.

“You’re a moron.”

Ah, so loving. “What have I done now, wife?” He threw himself on their bed and snuggled up to her blanket covered stomach and made himself comfortable. He ignored the romance novel she shoved over his face and simply lay there waiting for her displeasure to make itself known.

“I’ve been thinking about your ‘Telekinesis Training’ from last Thursday. You’re the biggest idiot I’ve ever met.”

Wincing was the only acceptable answer.

“You have to be more careful with him, Tadao.” Catherine lifted the book off his face and looked him in the eye. “He wants to take care of Hiroto…he’s going to look to you to show him how to do that.”

“I know,” he assured her. He sat up and scooted back so they were both leaning on the headboard. “We should talk about the Visions he had today. He’s going to need more testing done.”

“I was hoping you would tell me that this was a one-time Precognitive episode, and that he’s never going to have them again.”

“I wish I could Cathy, but I spoke with his teachers. They want to reclassify him.”

Scowling. He was in _so_ much trouble. “As what?”

Tadao rubbed his jaw and looked anywhere but his wife. “Precognitive Calling instead of a Clairvoyant Talent.”

She violently jabbed him with her book. Repeatedly. “ ** _Precognitive Calling_**? Why the hell has he been taking Clairvoyance classes?”

“Well…” How best to explain to someone with no Abilities? “Some classify Clairvoyance as a lesser shoot off of Precognition. Before today, you could ask him if it was going to rain next week, and he would give you a definitive yes or no. He came to that answer through a strong feeling. That’s Talent-level Clairvoyance. Precognition is the ability to view the future like you were a ghost watching a movie play out. You’re not part of that future, but you can observe it. You can See, hear, even smell that future. That’s classified as a Gift-level Precognition.”

“And the classification of Calling?”

“He didn’t just see those futures, Cath. _He_ ** _Felt_** _them_.” Tadao grabbed her hand to steady its shaking. “Tadashi told me what he remembered from his episode earlier, what he Saw. But he has no idea that he was speaking aloud. You heard him Cath: ‘don’t take him, don’t take Hiro, please, nothing else matters but Hiro.’ Pure _agony_ , Cath. He’s seven, he’s _never_ felt _anything_ that deeply before. That level of Knowing… it _has_ to be a Calling.”

Catherine didn’t know whether to cry or rage. “My baby,” she mourned, grabbing Tadao in a death grip and wailing. “My poor poor baby!”

Nothing was worse than watching his wife in such pain. “Catherine, he’s going to be alright. Tadashi is going to be fine. The higher the level of Ability, the more you can learn to control it. Flairs and Talents, they’re much harder to train because the Ability doesn't happen by will as much. Gifts and Callings can learn almost full control; maybe even how to turn it off and on. He’s a genius,” he smiled. “He’ll figure out how… if for no other reason than he wants to use his Abilities to help Hiroto.”

The two talked more about the classifications of Abilities and how best to help their sons adjust as they settled down towards sleep. It was only after the lights were off and they had been silent long enough for Tadao to start snoring that Catherine had to ask, “What are we going to do about that, Tada?”

Tadao tried looking at her in the near-perfect darkness. “About what?” It could wait until tomorrow right?

“Come on, you can’t tell me it sounded like it was just _brotherly_ love and worry when he was crying out for him. I’m talking about Tadashi and Hiroto.” She gave him a sidelong look, a little bit of sly amusement sparkling in her green eyes. “Together.”

I guess it couldn't wait until the morning. “Ah.” Tadao cleared his throat. “Well. Uh, that’s—sure. If they…you know. Fine, its fine.”

Catherine actually snorted she was so taken with her unflappable husband being flustered! “Tadao! You’re a married man, you can say the L-word. What do we do if they _fall in love_?”

The coughing fit was unwelcome and embarrassing. “It’s not that.”

“Well?”

“I just don’t want to tell you. Something.”

“Too bad.”

“Catherine…”

“Spill it.”

“But—“

“Now.”

That tone of voice meant it was time to confess all his darkest secrets or be left to sleep on the couch for the next foreseeable future. “I just… well. It’s not uncommon for something like this to happen.”

“Like what to happen?”

Yeah, he was in trouble. “Many Gifted and Calling-level Precognitives See who they’re going to be with in that way when they’re young—Tadashi-age young.” He didn’t have to wait long for her figure out what he wasn't saying based on his shoddy explanation.

“Oh my God, are you telling me you knew you were going to marry me? When we were _kids_?”

“Don’t say it like that!”

“You are such a creeper! Stalker!” She hit him with her pillow and started smacking him around the bed.

“Cath, it’s not like that! I didn’t even like girls when I Saw you!” That was evidently the wrong thing to say because she shoved him off the bed. “STOP HITTING ME. Precogs just… figure out who will make them happy earlier than other people.”

“Did you look for me? Did you come to my house and stare through windows?”

How did she come up with these things? “I did not stalk you! Futures change all the time. The Vision, it just showed me who I’d be best with.” Who he could make happy. “Who would make me the type of person that deserved such joy. That’s all.” He looked over the edge of their bed at her, the woman he had loved from the moment he had Seen them together as a child. He hadn't understood it then, and Tadashi probably didn't now, but that Vision was the best thing that had ever happened to him.

“Stupid romantic.”

Alright, no couch for him! “Do you know what I was going to be when I grew up? Before I had my Vision of you?”

She kissed his cheek and lay back down, tugging his arm across her stomach so they could snuggle. “What were you going to be before you became my stalker?”

“Quiet. Me and my best friend, we were going to be astronauts.”

“You were not!”

“We were. We were going to build our own rocket and go out into space and explore the universe.”

“I would have hated it. Not knowing if you were coming back.”

“I Saw that. So I didn’t become an astronaut.”

“I had no idea.”

“It’s a good thing too. Jason did go on to work at NASA. On his first mission out, there was a malfunction with the ship and he died.” He kissed her. “Without you, without that Vision, I could have been there with him.”

They kissed. “Thank you for Seeing me.”

“Thank you for being oblivious to my stalking.”

“TADAO!”

***

Hiroto stared up at the other boy and blinked. He made a lot of noise. But he was nice. He felt nice. He could make more noise.

“—he’s my best friend, well, right now, ‘cause you’re ganna be my best best friend. And we’ll play in the attic and have the best time looking for treasure and, and he’s ganna think you’re so cool, he thinks science is the best thing ever! Being a Technopath, he’ll think you’re a superhero! And I’ll teach you how to build your first hover-board, and we can make robots ‘cause they’re cool and maybe Mom and Dad will let us get a dog—”

Hiroto wondered if he could touch this one again. No pain when it was this one.

“—and then we can play in the backyard and catch ghosts and I’ll show you how to play with your toys by lifting them up with your mind and—”

Hiroto liked these nice people. Like that red lady. Yeah, nice small person.

“—I’m going to be a racer when I grow up, you can race me and I’ll let you win sometimes, and you’re a Technopath so you're ganna invent stuff and I can help and—”

Sleep. Hiroto tired. Go sleep.

Tadashi slumped over and was asleep next to Hiroto’s crib in moments, dreaming of warm voices, gentle hugs, and baby Hiroto.


End file.
